Crumbling Earth: A DMC Devil May Cry story
by DarkTheory13
Summary: The long awaited third installment of the four part series is here! As things finally seem to start getting better for Dante and Kat, their world comes crashing down as trouble once again finds them. Demons they can handle, but when the new Demon King is revealed, Dante and Kat realize that everything else they'd handled would not be able to prepare them for this...
1. Chapter 1

Crumbling Earth: A DMC Devil May Cry Story

Kat

"Is there a reason we're here?" Kat asked, parking her car in front of the Limbo City dump. She looked over at Dante, who was leaning back in his seat, eyes closed. "Hey," Kat said, nudging him. "Wake up, we're here. And again, why are we here?" she asked. Dante opened his eyes, rubbing them. "Today's lesson," he said, yawning. The clock on the center console read 7:00 am, and for Dante that was still too early to wake up. Kat had no idea why he wanted the two of them to go here. "Lesson?" Kat asked, shutting off the engine. Dante just nodded at her, still trying to fully wake himself up. "Yep. Today I will be your instructor on all things related to killing demons and taking names. Or you can just skip the name part and stick to killing demons, I don't give a shit…" he muttered, then slapped himself once across the face. The sound of the smack made Kat jump a bit. "You brought me here this early to train?" She looked out the window at the dump, seeing piles of garbage stacked high. "Just get out and I'll explain," Dante said, opening his car door and getting out. Kat looked at him, questioning, then finally got out as well, following him through the entrance. "So why the dump?" she asked, wrinkling her nose a bit at the smell of the place. "Because no one gives a shit if anything gets broken here. It's already at the dump, about to be disposed of. Anymore questions?" he asked, stopping and turning around to face her. Kat was about to ask something else, when Dante reached into his coat and pulled out a black box. Kat stared at the box, then back at him. About to ask what it was, she decided to just play along, and took the box, opening it.

"These are…"

She looked at the two guns that lay inside the box, both similar in make and model to Dante's own guns, Ebony and Ivory. The only thing different with these guns were the colors and engravings. The first gun had blue floral markings going along the grip, and along the barrel was a word engraved in blue: _Harmony._ The second was similar, only it was decorated with red, and had the word _Ruin_ engraved into it. "Harmony and Ruin…" Kat said to herself. Dante ran a hand through his hair, smiling a bit. "Well, I figured that this would be a good opportunity for you to learn more of an offensive strategy towards demon killing. And I figured it could be a…well, a present for our six-month anniversary," he said.

Kat's heart skipped a beat.

_'It's really been six months, hasn't it?'_ she thought to herself, feeling as her cheeks went aflame. Six months ago, Dante had made it clear that he wanted her as his girlfriend. He'd even been approached by girls she considered more attractive, that would have been right up the old Dante's alley, but he made it clear that he wanted her. They'd even slept in the same bed that night. They slept in the same bed ever since. He only slept in his room when she wasn't there or he was just taking a nap. Kat bit her bottom lip, unsure on what to respond with. "Dante, these are beautiful guns, b-but I'm just not the gunslinger type. That's you. You're the one who can run into the heart of a demon horde, sling bullets around and cut heads. I'm the more technical side of demon killing," she explained. Dante was just standing there, rubbing his eyes. "I'm aware. That's why we're here. You don't have to be a bad-ass gunslinger like me, but you do need to know a bit of something. Let's say I'm not around, or let's say you have to come with me one of these days on a crucial mission that requires you to be up close and personal. If that's the case, and I'm either busy or pinned down or worse…then who's gonna be there to protect you? So that's why I want you to know how to fire a gun at least. Can you do that for me?" he asked, smiling down at her a bit. Kat looked down at the guns, then back up at him.

"Yes. I can do that. For you." Kat smiled back, cheeks still burning.

Dante

"Safety goggles and headphones check," Dante said. Dante stood beside Kat, drawing Ebony from her holster. "Okay, so watch me. Look at my stance, the positioning of my hands, how my arms are, everything. Now, remember our date at the arcade? How I taught you how to shoot virtual zombies? Think of this as that, only _this_ can hurt you for real if you're not paying attention," Dante explained. He watched as Kat took Harmony in her hand, sighing a bit. He watched her look at his stance, standing the way he told her to. "Make sure to get a good grip on it. This is a real gun, and it has kickback to it. If you aren't careful, the gun might go flying out of your hand if you're not holding it right." Dante holstered his gun, then took Kat's hands in his. "Like this," he said, helping her to hold her gun properly. "You know, you could be a teacher," Kat said to him. "Maybe once all of this is over, you can try to teach a firearm safety class or-"

"Stop. Just stop. I can't see myself trying to teach people. I could barely see myself trying to teach you how to do this here," Dante interrupted. "Then why teach me?" Kat asked. "Because I actually care about you. Haven't you figured that out yet?" he replied. "Good. Hold it just like that." Dante stepped back to his place, drawing his gun again, and assuming his stance. "Now, you're going to hit that bottle I set up just straight ahead. You're going to line the front sight up with the rear sight. Then fix the gun on the target. Make sure your hands are steady, and once you've done that you can fire when ready. Like so." Dante looked down the barrel of the gun at a bottle, then fired. The bottle exploded into several glass pieces, littering the ground. Dante smirked in satisfaction. "Nothing to it. Your turn." Kat steadied herself, lining the sights up just like Dante had instructed, then fired her gun, jumping a bit once the shot rang out. The kickback startled her. Dante looked over to the bottle, seeing that it was still intact, and she had missed her target. "That's alright, that's alright. You're just getting started. Come on, let's go again," he said, helping Kat set up for another shot. He helped her get back into her stance, showing her where to place her fingers. On the inside, Dante was laughing. It was just the two of them, doing something productive and…couple-ish.

It felt nice.

Dante

Dante stirred in his sleep, happy to be home. He worked with Kat on her shooting for three hours, and once they'd practiced for a bit, decided to call it a day. The first thing they did when they got home was take a shower. He suggested that they do it together so they wouldn't use up as much water.

Needless to say, he didn't get very clean. Neither of them did.

"Dante…" he heard.

He felt a warm touch, and nimble fingers gliding along the side of his face, playing with his hair. He relaxed a bit. "Kat, I don't think I'm ready for another shower…" he mumbled. "Give me a couple of hours to sleep, and I'll be ready for another cleaning…"

"And to think, you used to give me kisses with that mouth…"

Dante recognized that voice. That soft, angelic voice. He opened his eyes, sitting up. She was sitting beside him, in a white sundress, with flowing red hair.

"Mom…"

Eva smiled once he'd finally recognized her. "Hello, Dante," she said softly, stroking his cheek. She sighed. "Once they grow up, they're never the same. Nothing but girls on their minds, and then they completely forget about their mothers..." she teased, resting her hands in her lap. Dante stared at her in confusion. _'Am I dreaming?'_ he thought. It wasn't every day that he got to speak with his dead mother. The last time she spoke to him was when he undid the last bond on his soul, and she told him to choose his own path. "Why are you here?" Dante asked, then regretted the way he said that. He was happy that she was sitting here before him. But again, it wasn't every day that he got to speak with his dead mother.

Eva frowned a bit, her features hardening as she looked at him. "Your fight isn't over, son. You still have much to go through," she said. Dante nodded. "I know. There are demons all over the city. Kat and I are doing our best to-"

"No. I don't mean them. There's going to be an even bigger challenge; and it will test you Dante. It will test your very soul. Your greatest challenge is at hand, and this is where you decide who you want to be, son…" she continued. Her features softened again, and she sighed. She stroked his cheek, looking into his eyes. "I knew it couldn't be true…I knew that he couldn't have killed you…" she whispered. "Who couldn't have killed me?" Dante asked.

Before he got an answer, he found himself waking up, staring at his ceiling. He quickly looked around, but found no sign of his mother there. He looked at the clock, seeing that it was 12:18 pm. He recalled everything he remembered hearing, replaying the words over and over in his head. "'It will test your very soul…'" he repeated, thinking about that. He stepped out of bed, and walked to the living room, where he found Kat sitting on the couch, typing away on her laptop. She looked up at him, a smile on her face. "I woke up about twenty-minutes ago, thought I'd do some work. You okay?" she asked, examining his features. Dante thought about that, then finally settled on an answer.

"Never better. I could use another shower though." He smirked, then laughed when Kat threw a pillow at him.

Kat

Kat typed away at her laptop, headphones on as she listened to music while she worked. She was checking off areas that they'd surveyed and found signs of decreased demon activity. She mumbled the words to the song, music always helping her. "I cannot see what's done to me. Live in fear the sun is falling from the sky…"

"What you doing?" she heard, looking up to see Dante holding two cups. He set one down on the table, then sat on the couch beside her. Kat reached for the cup, looking in and finding it was coffee. "Thanks," she said, taking a sip and then setting the cup back down. "I'm just doing some surveillance is all. Checking the areas we've been to. In short, it seems like our efforts have indeed made an impact," she explained, shutting her laptop. She looked up at Dante, and saw that he was staring down at the couch, like he was lost in space. "Dante?" she asked. He looked up, as if realizing where he was. "Yeah, what is it, Kat?" he asked. She studied him for a moment, realizing that something was off. He wasn't going to admit it though, and she knew better than to press the issue. She just shook her head. "Nothing. Just wanted to say thank you for today's training," she lied. Dante smiled at her, taking a sip of coffee before setting the cup down beside hers. "It's my pleasure. I realized that I wanted you to be protected in the event disaster struck. And I remembered that time at the old Order headquarters…" he said, trailing off. Kat rubbed her left shoulder, feeling the scar underneath her hoodie. She sighed, then turned her entire body towards Dante, crossing her legs. "You know you don't have to keep blaming yourself for that. Yes, it hurt. Yes, I was scared. But that wasn't your fault. And besides, I survived. I'm here with you now, aren't I?" she said. Before he could reply, she unzipped her hoodie, then slid it down to reveal the tank top underneath. She touched the light-colored scar on her shoulder. "See? It's not that bad, is it?" She reached forward, taking Dante's hand and placing it on the scar. She could feel him tense, like he was ready to pull away, but he sighed and remained still. "Doesn't hurt. Now, stop beating yourself up about it, okay? Mopey isn't your style," she said, then leaned forward, placing her lips on his. The two of them stayed like that for a moment, lips locked and enjoying the intimacy. As she finally began to slip back to reality, she pulled back, seeing the difference in Dante's eyes. She knew that the Dante she loved was back. "Thank you…" he said softly, running a hand through his hair. "You know, if you're taking off clothes, I can take mine off too," he said.

Yeah. He was back.

Kat put her arms through the sleeves of her hoodie, sliding it back on. "Nice try. The shower was enough for-"

_Crash!_

The sound of shattering glass drew their attentions, both looking towards the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. Kat's vision focused, seeing something cannonball through the shower of glass, then quickly moved back as it flew between her and Dante. It landed in the center of the living room, crouched down with dual-blades drawn. It was clad in blue, and it wore a mask of a smiling face, eerie and haunting. "A Dreamrunner?" Kat said. She saw Dante out of the corner of her eye, rushing forward. He hopped over the table without hesitation, and she could see the white glow coming from underneath his black tee; the white light from his family crest that was on his back. Rebellion materialized on his back, and he drew it, swinging the blade. It collided with the Dreamrunner's, and the sound of clanging blades rang out through the small apartment. The two of them stood there with locked blades, anticipating, until Dante shoved the demon away, and it hit the door to the apartment.

_'Wait…they never attack us directly. Demons have never come here before…'_ Kat thought to herself.

The Dreamrunner leapt around the living room, Dante in pursuit of it. It was giving Dante the run around, mocking him almost. Finally, it jumped over the railing, down towards the streets below. "That bastard…" Dante said, running down the hall to his room. "Wait, let me help you!" Kat said, running to her room and finding her boots. She quickly pulled them on, then grabbed her backpack that was already filled with glyph stencils and cans of her special spray paint. She was about to walk out, when she looked at her bedside table and saw the black box. She bit her lip, questioning if she was ready for guns.

"Kat, come on!" she heard, then grabbed the box, as well as the belt with holsters that Dante had got her. "I'm coming!" she shouted, running into the living room and seeing Dante clad in his full outfit. The two of them ran out of the apartment together, going downstairs and out the entrance. Once outside, both of them stopped and looked in shock.

They found the Dreamrunner, kneeling down on the ground, blades sheathed and its head bowed. Before it was a man, tall and clad in black, with blue designs going down his coat. In his hand was a sheathed blade. His hair was white and slicked black. The very air around him seemed distorted, and power rippled along his entire body, as if he had more than what his body could hold, and it was pouring out of him

"My messenger was successful. Good. Then it seems that I have your attention," he said.

Kat felt her heart drop as she stared. She looked at Dante, and could tell very easily that the same thing must have happened to him. She knew very well that it did.

"Vergil…?" she heard Dante say, as if he was in disbelief.

"Hello, Dante. Glad to see that you're still alive and well. Glad to see both you _and_ Kat are doing well. For now." Vergil smiled at them. "It's been too long, brother. I imagine that you would probably like to…clear the air, yes? Well, luckily I have time. Being the demon king tends to take up a lot of it."


	2. Chapter 2

Vergil

Vergil stood tall and proud, hands resting on the hilt of the Yamato. He tapped the sheathed sword against the ground, watching his brother and former follower as they stared at him in confusion and disbelief. "If no one is going to talk," he finally said, "then I will start. Let's just say that I went through my own personal Hell, and while there I learned to face my demons. As well as control them and make them do my bidding."

The Dreamrunner that bowed at his feet raised its head, staring at Dante and Kat, causing them to stand on guard, ready for an attack. "Now now…no need for us to be hostile. You're dismissed," he said to the demon, and without hesitation it jumped through its reflective portal and was gone.

"You said you were the new demon king. How is that possible?" Dante asked, stepping forward slowly. Vergil watched him, then calmly replied with, "As I said before, I learned to face my demons. Harness them. Manipulate them. Make them weapons under my command. And by doing this, the demons that we once killed now answer to me. They recognize immense strength, Dante, and therefore, they are under my influence." Vergil then stepped forward, closing the distance between him and his brother, until the two of them were standing face to face. "I see that apart from the tacky jacket you keep wearing, you've changed your attire a bit. Did Kat dress you?" he asked. He looked past Dante, seeing Kat clutching a black box. He then turned his attention back to Dante.

"I see that you're an even bigger asshole than before. I'm still better looking, by the way," Dante said, looking him straight in the eye.

Vergil simply smirked. "I'm smarter."

"I'm stronger," Dante replied.

"My dick is still bigger than yours, too," Vergil said, shrugging a bit. "Oh, brother…if only you would have considered my proposal. We could have been a team. We could have done so much together. But you chose humanity over your own bloodline. You'd rather play savior to an imperfect race, rather than be a king."

"Don't try to guilt trip me. You wanted to enslave them, Vergil. You wanted to make them your puppets, just like Mundus did. Don't try to deny it, asshole…" Dante spat out, glaring now. "Why can't you see that this whole scenario has no good end? _Nothing_ good will come out of this, Vergil! Just because we're half demon doesn't mean we need to act like it.

Vergil erupted into laughter, covering his face for a moment as he tried to regain his composure. "You really disappoint me, Dante. I can see that this will end in nothing but violence, once again. That's fine with me," he said, then tapped the Yamato against the ground.

Dante

Dante felt the trembling underneath him, stepping away from Vergil. The rumbling subsided after a moment, and Dante observed the area around him. "Kat, get back," Dante ordered, looking around. He heard ravens cawing up above, looking up to see them flying in a circle above him. But there was something in the circle that caught his attention. "Wisps. I picked these up from Hell. You're going to love them," Vergil said. Dante watched as his brother turned, walking away from him. "Hey! We're not through here!" Dante shouted. Vergil drew his sword, cutting the air in front of him and creating a portal. "Oh, I think we are…" said Vergil, and he was gone. Dante looked back up, seeing something fly down towards him. He saw bandages flowing in the wind, and claws outstretched. The most noticeable feature was the goat-like skull it had. Dante gripped the Rebellion's handle, then as the demon descended, swung the blade. Just as it looked as though the blade had made contact, Dante watched as the demon went intangible. The blade cut nothing but air, and as Dante was left open from his failed attack, the Wisp resumed its normal form, clawing at Dante's side. The claws dug into him, and Dante's senses were overcome with pain as the demon knocked him off his feet, and he hit the ground with a thud. "Fuck!" Dante shouted, holding his side. "Dante!" he heard Kat scream, seeing another Wisp descending down upon him.

_Bang!_

The Wisp fell back, something grazing the side of its goat-like skull of a head. Dante looked back, seeing Kat, guns in her hands, black box on the ground at her feet. The Wisp stared at her for a moment, before finally charging towards her. "No!" Dante shouted, then swung the Rebellion. In mid swing, the blade shifted, turning into the Ophion whip, but failed to connect, as the Wisp returned to its gaseous state, and the claw at the end of the whip only hit the wall in front of it. He watched Kat run back into the apartment complex, with a demon hot on her trail.

"Son of a bitch…." Dante muttered, standing up. The other Wisp floated in front of him, claws bared as it prepared to strike. "I don't have time for you!" Dante said, turning towards the apartment complex. As he approached the door, the ground around him trembled, and he watched as it soon began to crumble. A large demon emerged from the newly formed hole, bulky and covered in muscles. There was a strange, porcelain-like covering on its face, covering its fanged mouth. As the demon emerged, it roared at Dante, blocking his path back upstairs to where Kat was.

In front of him was the Imprisoner, and behind him the Wisp. Dante felt the surge of energy, and Rebellion shifted into Eryx, the demonic gauntlets, wrapped around his hands. He popped his neck, standing between the two demons. "Is someone gonna do something or are you two gonna sit there and look at how pretty I am?" he asked, tapping his fists together. On that note, the Imprisoner charged at him, roaring loudly. "Dumbass…" he said, then pulled back his fist. As the demon approached, he slammed a fist into the ground, shattering the floorboard. From underneath it, stalagmites appeared, rising from the ground. One of them appeared between him and the charging demon, who halted before the sharp rock could impale it. Without a second to waste, Dante shifted to the side, seeing the Wisp rush past him, attempting to claw at him. He swung again, yelling loudly, but was too late. The Wisp went intangible, and Dante groaned in frustration, jumping back before he could be hit. "Yo! Don't you get tired of using the same dirty tricks?!" he shouted. _'Of course not, he's a fucking demon…'_ he thought, then heard the Imprisoner behind the large stalagmite. He watched it tear it down with its fanged mouth, then hurl the large rock towards him. Dante rolled out-of-the-way, barely missing it. "This will take forever…"

Kat

Kat hurried down the hall, panting as she tried to outrun the Wisp, who was speeding after her. She saw the door to their apartment, relieved. As she made it to the door, a window at the end of the hall exploded, and the hall was flooded with ravens. Kat quickly opened the door, ducking into the apartment and locking it. "Come on, come on!" she said to herself, kneeling down in the center of the room, then opening her backpack. She pulled out a stencil and a can of paint, slapping it on the ground and spraying over it. She looked at the door, seeing a gaseous form slip through it. She quickly sprayed the glyph on the floor, then peeled it away, looking at her work. As the demon finally materialized in the apartment, it charged her, and Kat waited in anticipation.

The demon slammed hard into an invisible wall, stopping in its tracks. The painted glyph was glowing a bright red on the floor, showing it was activated. She sighed in relief, watching the demon claw and claw, only to be stopped by her barrier. It was a new glyph she'd discovered, and it was a ward against demons. She would be safe for a moment, until it finally gave in. At that point, she would be left open to attacks.

She tried not to think about it too much.

But she could prepare herself. She reached into her backpack, pulling out another intricately designed glyph, and setting it on the ground behind the first one she painted. She began spraying paint over it, spraying on the symbol, then peeled away the stencil. The Wisp tried going intangible, thinking that it would make its way through, but failed. _'I can't shoot it…it'll only turn intangible and then it'll get close enough to attack me. So I have to do this the old-fashioned way…'_ she thought. There were ripples forming along the barrier, showing that it would soon give up. She stared at the Wisp, taking a deep breath. She watched as it pulled back, claws out, preparing to strike again. As it lunged forward, Kat quickly disrupted the barrier by destroying the painted glyph, running her hand over it and smearing paint. As it went down, she rolled out-of-the-way, and the Wisp struck the area she was once at, hovering over the second glyph. It turned, trying to move after her, but was stuck. She waited, checking to make sure, and saw the glyph glowing. Her plan had worked. She stood up, dusting herself off. "You like that? It's another glyph I found. You see, this one was used to stop demons in their tracks. If a demon was in the presence of this glyph, it would activate and keep them from moving. Also neutralized powers…having a hard time going ghost?" she said, watching the demon writhe around in frustration as it hovered in place. Kat drew the guns at her sides. "You can't go intangible. So that means a bullet or two to the face might hurt. Or worse." Kat raised the guns, then fired both Harmony and Ruin at the same time. The two bullets connected with the head of the demon, and she watched the goat-skull head it had shatter into several pieces, before finally disintegrating. She did it. She had finally just actually killed her first demon.

And she did it without Dante being there. Kat smiled to herself, then began laughing, basking in the moment.

"I can see that my brother has taught you well," she heard. Kat turned, seeing Vergil out on the patio deck, staring out at the city. "I remember purchasing this place. This was one of the old safe houses that I bought, just in case Mundus found our headquarters. I see it survived pretty well…" he said, as if getting lost in the memories. Kat began to back up, going towards the door. "Why are you doing this, Vergil?" she asked him. Vergil turned, facing her. His gaze seemed to burn into her, as if he was staring at her very soul, as if he could read her mind. Kat tried to shake the feeling. "Because it is my birthright. Together Dante and I destroyed the old demon king, and as such, it is our right to rule. This is justice! Mundus ruined our lives, took our family away from us, and forced us into a life we weren't ready for. We were just two children wondering where our mother and father were. But despite that, we came out on top. I am a Nephilim, the strongest there is. It is only fitting that I rule this world, and lead it in a new direction. It's time to take a new course of action, and I plan to deliver. I will bring order. And if you and my brother don't want to follow me, then you're just another obstacle I will overcome, Kat…" he said, stepping forward. Kat held up her guns, and Vergil stopped in his tracks. As he started laughing, Kat felt a chill surround her. "I can't believe it's come to this. I remember when I found you. You were lost and alone, pathetically walking around Limbo. I showed you how to face your demons. I turned you into something great. And now you're screwing my brother. Perhaps you were a mistake. One that I don't intend to make again. Go ahead, Kat. I'll give you a chance. My brother has taught you how to shoot, yes? Show me," he said. Kat felt her heart beating rapidly. She was having a hard time breathing, and all of this was giving her a headache. She gripped the handles of her guns. "Vergil, please…" she said, stepping back. He stepped forward more. He just looked at her, waiting. Kat steadied herself, and giving in to his request, she fired at Vergil.


	3. Chapter 3

Dante

With great effort, Dante closed shut the mouth of the Imprisoner demon. He then picked it up, and fell back, slamming it into the ground and creating a crater. The stunned demon was still and motionless, and Dante sought to take advantage of that. He smirked, then pulled back his fist, Eryx ready to blow a hole inside the body of the demon. He was about to bring his fist down, but was forced to jump back as a Wisp clawed at him. "Son of a bitch…" he muttered, watching the Wisps guard the downed Imprisoner. There were now six total, not including the one that was in pursuit of Kat. Shortly after he had begun his fight, five more appeared, and made his fight even harder. "Guardian angels. Isn't that nice…" he said, scoffing. He looked closely at the Imprisoner as it rose, shaking off its previous defeat. He examined it closely. Massive muscles, strong fangs, as well as a destructive attitude. It had a very short temper.

_'I have a knack for pissing people off…'_ Dante thought to himself.

The Wisps would just turn intangible if he got anywhere close to them. They would go ghost and he'd have a hell of time fighting, only to get slapped around once he was open. He thought about it for a moment and came to a conclusion.

"Kick roid-rage's ass first…" he said, then watched as the massive demon charged at him. Dante felt as Eryx slipped away, resuming Rebellion form, only to get transformed again. The long Ophion chain and claw stood ready, and he waited patiently. As the demon approached, he jumped upwards, right above the demon's body, then he hurled the chain, latching on to its neck. Dante reeled himself in, landing on its back, and began riding the Imprisoner like an enraged bull. He laughed a bit, having fun as he held on for dear life. The Wisps swung and clawed at him, forcing Dante to occasionally duck and jump upwards. The enraged demon was moving too fast and sporadically for them to keep up. "O-okay…" he said, being bounced up and down. He grabbed on to the porcelain like mask that covered its face, then relinquished his grip with the chain and claw. Not wasting a second, he channeled the Osiris scythe form. "Just a little off of the top, big fella…" he said. As he prepared to place the blade on the throat of the demon, the Imprisoner came to an abrupt halt, flinging Dante forward. His world turned upside down, spinning out of control, and he tried to regain his composure as he went flying through the air. He could see movement out of the corner of his eye, and realized he wasn't moving fast enough.

He could feel several claws gliding along his body as he fell towards the ground. As he hit the hard cement, he felt the sting of pain as it came to him all at once. Along his body were several claw marks left by the Wisps. The Imprisoner had launched him straight at them. He was rising to his feet when he could sense it behind him. It was an ambush, and they were coming fast.

_'I gotta be faster…gotta be faster…keep it together this time…'_ he thought.

As he felt them descend upon him, he let loose the pent-up pool of energy he'd had inside of him. His hair stood on end, and his eyes assumed a scarlet sort of color. He looked back, seeing the stunned demons, knocked back by Devil Trigger's power. He just grinned. "Let's see how fast it takes for you to go ghost…" he said, then moved with renewed strength. His increased speed took the Wisps by surprise as he went down the line. He attacked them before they had time to go intangible, given that he moved so fast everything seemed as though it reacted slower. He watched Osiris cut through the skull head of the Wisp, watching as fragments of bone exploded in front of him. It was like a deranged game to him.

_'Remember who you are!'_ he screamed to himself in his mind, trying to keep from going too far. Control had become an issue for him in this form.

He cleaved through the body of another, then smirked as he tossed the scythe at another. He caught Osiris before it hit the ground after severing in half the body of the last Wisp, then counted down how many he'd destroyed. He looked up, seeing only one remaining Wisp, in the middle of trying to retreat. Dante threw the scythe again, listening to the sound it made as it cut through the air, then sliced down the middle of the demon, and its remains fell down towards the ground before disintegrating. Upon the defeat of the last Wisp, he felt as time caught up, and gasped as his Devil Trigger wore off. "Wait…not yet!" he said, hearing the heavy footsteps of the Imprisoner. _'I forgot about this bitch!'_ he thought. He looked at his empty hands, then reached up, catching Rebellion as it fell back down to the earth. The Imprisoner opened wide, fangs ready to tear into him. "Quick decision…" he said, then lunged forward. He plunged Rebellion into the open mouth of the demon, then felt as the Imprisoner bit down on his shoulder at the same time. Teeth tore into cloth and flesh, and Dante could have sworn he'd heard the sound of bones cracking. He held on tightly to the handle of his blade, then focused on manipulating it with his powers, instead of the pain that coursed through him.

_Slice!_

The sharp blade from Osiris pierced through the thick hide, protruding from the back of the Imprisoner as Rebellion resumed its scythe form, and Dante yelled loudly as he yanked his arm back. The blade cut through the back of the demon, then straight downwards along the neck and through the top of its skull and porcelain mask. As the blade cut through the demon, the demon's teeth cut through Dante. The right sleeve was removed from his coat. His arm looked like a bloody mess once freed from the mouth of the demon. Dante stood still, catching his breath, focusing on everything but his arm. As well as focusing on everything but his coat. "Kat's not gonna be able to stitch this…" he muttered, then sighed and ran towards the apartment complex, rushing up the stairs.

Vergil

"I didn't really want it to end this way," Vergil said, sitting on the couch. He looked closely at what remained of Kat's guns. The barrels had been sliced off of both in a single, well-timed slash shortly after Kat had fired. Once she fired, he quickly disarmed her and left several well placed cuts along her body, from the legs and up. He made sure not to harm her face. Kat laid on the floor a bloody mess, barely even conscious. She hadn't expected him to simply walk past her shots untouched and counter-attack like that. He tossed the barrel-less guns to the side. "I'm sorry that you had to get mixed up in all of this. I would have preferred that you stay unharmed, but again, this is a war. The ill-prepared will suffer more casualties than the ones who have a more well thought out plan. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked, then stood up, walking over to Kat. He watched as she tried to crawl away from him, leaving behind a trail of blood, whimpering in pain from the bleeding cuts. Vergil just stopped in front of her, kneeling down. "Y…you know that…he'll kill you for this…right?" Kat said, pausing between words. She breathed heavily, looking up at him with a rebellious fire in her eyes. "You…you were in the school…" Kat said. Vergil nodded. "I was. I was the one that orchestrated the attack on the high school. As well as several other attacks. I was impressed when you caught on. I had a feeling you were watching me as I guided the Rage demons. It was rather simple using my power to interrupt the feed between here and the school. But what I'm more curious about is why you never told Dante what you found." Kat looked up at him, eyes wide. Vergil chuckled. "I was the one who bought this place, was I not? You didn't stop to realize that this place was wired? You never thought about the fact that I had several other locations where there was equipment stored that could link into the surveillance systems of the safe houses planted all over Limbo City? All I had to do was transfer the equipment to a new site, get everything up and running again with a little maintenance and programming, and ta-da. Do you not remember who I am and what I can do? I saw everything, from the silly dates, to the battle strategies, to how you tamed and weakened my brother. Now, why didn't you tell Dante that you saw a strange figure in the school?" he asked. Kat simply glared back at him. "I can see why he loves you. You're just as stubborn as he is, only you're prettier," Vergil replied, then cupped Kat's face in his hand. She struggled, slapping at him weakly, only exerting herself. "Let me guess…you didn't want to break his heart with the truth. You didn't want to run the risk of seeing him fall into a depression at the fact that his brother was his new enemy. How sweet. You had a feeling this entire time and didn't bother to dwell on it, due to your need for his happiness," he said. Kat spat at him, pulling her face from his grip. "Go back to hell, Vergil…you're sick…" Kat said. Vergil just rolled his eyes, looking down at the spit on his black coat. "As for my brother, he can try to kill me if he wants, but he'll only succeed in disappointing himself. He hasn't even seen what I'm capable of doing now. You can't even begin to imagine what I've become now that I cut him, you, even my family, loose. My time in Hell has taught me one _very_ important thing: that sentiment, if you let it linger long enough, will get you killed. So I cast it aside. I no longer dwell on the memories of the life lost to me; the life that my parents wanted Dante and me to have. I no longer dwell on that, or the love lost between my brother and I. All that I have left to do is to claim what is rightfully mine. I won't make the mistake that my brother _and_ my father made. They wanted to pretend they were something else. They wanted to play human, and live as quiet of a life as possible, free of the responsibilities that they had. But not me. I will embrace what I am, and for that, become something greater than both of them put together. And the first thing to do on this path to unlimited power and potential is to fix a loose end…"

Vergil grabbed the hood of Kat's hoodie, dragging her across the floor. She reached up, grabbing his wrist, trying to wrench herself from his grip. "I was upset with you at first, thinking that it was because of you that my brother would betray me like he did. But I later realized that it made no-"He felt the change in weight, looking down and seeing only a bloody hoodie in his hands. Kat had not gotten very far. She was going towards the door. Vergil just sighed, walking back towards her and grabbing her hair. He pulled her across the room, then put her on the kitchen table. "As I was saying, I realized that it made no difference. Please stop struggling so much. This will only make it worse," he said. Kat kicked at him as she was set down on her back. "Vergil, you're insane!" she screamed, fighting back. "What do you hope to gain? What does killing me do for you?!" Vergil lowered his head, putting his face in front of hers and she stopped, staring up at him. "For starters, it ties up a loose end, as I said. But also…it frees my brother. He'll soon realize that the humanity he so longed for was nothing but a mistake. And you're the thread connecting him to humanity, are you not? I wonder what he'll become when you're no longer around to keep him, how you said, 'Dante, nothing more, nothing less.' Yes, I heard that part too, now and then when you would repeat that to him to calm his nerves after a long day." Vergil ran a finger down her cheek, feeling the shudder that came from her. "I can't blame him for loving you. I once had to wipe your memory of the affection we felt for each other. Back when I first met you. It was important that I worked without…distractions. But perhaps I can spare a moment…" he said. He raised Kat's head, hearing the weak gasp she made, then pressed his lips against hers. Vergil felt her arms trying to push him away, but he held his place. As his lips locked with hers, his other hand was drawing the Yamato, preparing to cut into her, and remove her heart. Just like Mundus and their mother, Eva. How traumatized would it be for Dante to see another woman he loved dead with a hole in her chest, heart stolen? It was almost poetic. He had just set her back down on the table and positioned the blade over her heart when he heard the door open.

He waited a moment before looking back, letting the scene sink in. "Perhaps I should have worked faster. I was hoping to be gone when you arrived. But I suppose being here to witness it is just as-"He stopped when he could feel the oncoming attack. He spun around and blocked the blow of the Rebellion, but was amazed at the power Dante had exerted. Dante let out a yell of frustration, and Vergil could see that he'd only succeeded in bringing out his brother's Devil Trigger. _'Amazing…'_ he thought. With great effort, Vergil pushed his brother back, then took a moment to analyze himself. _'My arm is numb…how is this possible?'_ he thought. _'Is he really that strong, that he can match me, even in my ascended state? Even with the blocks he keeps setting up between him and his full potential?!'_

Vergil growled in frustration, jumping back. "Another time, brother. Now is not the time or place for our powers to be let loose like this." He jumped over the railing on the balcony, descending towards the street. As he fell, he slashed at the air, falling into an open portal, and closed it afterwards.

Dante

Dante became lost in the sound of the beeping monitors going off inside of the hospital. It was a rhythmic beat. He almost didn't hear the doctor as she called his name. A short, slender, brown-haired woman approached him. She was wearing a white lab coat that on her looked almost too big due to her small frame. Dante rose to his feet upon recognizing her. "Dr. Webber. How is she?" he asked. Dr. Webber sighed, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes. It was clear she'd been here for some time. "She's stabilized. She lost a lot of blood, so transfusions were necessary. She suffered from several deep cuts that were placed over a majority of her body, but we've taken care of those. In short, she'll live, but she will need some time to recover. We've done everything we can, and now the rest is up to her," she explained. Dante felt a lump in his throat, and he had to force himself to swallow it so that he could speak. "Thank you, doc…" he said, sighing deeply. "Can…can I talk to her?" he asked. "She's not conscious now. But I can understand your situation, so you can see her. I recommend that you try not wake her though. But answer this for me," she said. Dante nodded. "Yes?" he asked. "What was it? A demon? Was she out on patrol with you or something? She looks like she was dropped in a bear exhibit at a zoo. So do you, actually." She looked at Dante carefully, her look saying that she wanted an answer. Dante looked down at the ground for a moment, thinking of an answer. The world wasn't aware that he had a brother, and that was probably for the best. "I wasn't there. It was an attack on our home, and…well, we got separated. I made it just in time. And the monster got away," he said, not going too into detail. She simply nodded; accepting his answer, she turned and led him down the hall. Dante followed, wanting desperately to see Kat. They stopped outside her room. "Remember, let her sleep. And don't stay too long." Dr. Webber then opened the door, letting Dante inside, and closing the door once he was in.

It broke his heart.

Kat was covered head to toe in bandages, and the sight of needles injected into her arm, filling her with medications and blood for transfusion made him feel sick. Her eyes were closed, and from the looks of it, she was uncomfortable. He'd watched her when she slept. She was peaceful, relaxed, and nothing could bother her. This wasn't that. Dante sat in the chair beside her bed. "Hey, Kat…" he said softly, looking for some sort of reaction but found nothing. He ran a hand through his hair. "I…I didn't bring any flowers or anything…but I'll stop by later and have some for you. They'll be nice. Brighten this place up a bit. I'll even bring you your laptop, your books, whatever you want to make it not so boring here." He realized he was simply rambling, and that his words fell on deaf ears. He looked down at his lap, trying to think of something to say that actually meant something. "I wish I had been there to stop it. I let myself get caught up in fighting his demons that I…I have been slipping. I haven't been up to par. I can see it now. I'm not as strong as I wanted to believe…" he said. He stopped, trying to find the words. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I guess…that's what I'm trying to say. I said I would protect you at all times. That you would be safe with me. You would never get hurt again. Not like last time. I would guard you till the day I die. And I couldn't keep that promise. I couldn't-"

There was a knock on the window, and Dante looked up. He went to the window, looking out, then saw him on the roof of a building across the street, tossing a pebble in the air and catching it. Vergil was smirking, mouthing something. Dante had to focus, watching his mouth move. He then pieced it together, making out "Should I have brought flowers?" Dante clenched his fist, then looked back at Kat. He didn't want to leave her. He looked down at his jacket, covered in claw marks and missing a sleeve. He took it off, folding it up and placing it at the foot of Kat's bed, then smiled a bit. "Keep me close…" he said, then opened the window and jumped out. He then glided across the street, closing in on Vergil. As he drew Rebellion from his back, his rage took over, and he could see it all now: Vergil down on the ground again, sword in his chest near his heart, and this time, Kat wouldn't stop him from killing him. As he got closer, he watched Vergil slash the air behind him, and walk through the newly created portal. Dante landed in front of it, waiting for a moment. He looked back across the street at the hospital, then back at the portal. On the other side was his brother, and the chance at finishing this once and for all.

"Now or never…" he said, then jumped through the portal.


	4. Chapter 4

(Kinda rushed this one. Sorry if there are any errors! Tried to find as many as I could! X_X)

Dante

The moonlight shined brightly through the empty window panes. As he walked through the familiar hallway, he could feel the slight chill as wind blew past him. Without his coat, Dante felt almost exposed, and ill-prepared. But he would move on. He stood in the doorway, looking into the desolate mansion. The sight of the broken tiles on the floor, the shredded drapes that hung from the walls, and the broken glass that littered the room brought Dante back to the time when he first came back here. He shook away the nostalgic memory. Dante was halfway through the hall, when he stopped, seeing her sitting on the window sill.

Eva was sitting in the moonlight, staring out at the world. "Mom…" Dante said, walking over to her. She smiled weakly, turning her head and facing him. "You came back…" she said, moving hair out of her face. "I remember walking through these halls with you when you and your brother were just little boys…" Eva ran a hand across her face, as if trying to refrain from crying. "When you said I'd have a great battle ahead, you meant Vergil, didn't you?" Dante finally asked, his heart breaking at the sight of his mother like this. Eva looked back out the window. "When your brother descended into Hell, he came to me with a fake amulet, saying it was yours and that he'd killed you. He left me there with a broken heart, thinking that I'd lost both of my boys…" she explained. Dante's eyes widened upon learning this. "Wait…what do you mean Hell?" he asked, this being the first time he'd heard this. "I'm in Hell, Dante. Talking to you would be almost impossible if you didn't have this," she said, placing her hand on the red amulet that hung from around his neck. "It connects me to you…"

Dante placed his hand on top of hers. "You don't deserve this…" he said, trying not to imagine his mother being stuck in the worst place possible. "First Heaven sits back and watches you die, then they let you fall into Hell?" he asked. Eva let out a small chuckle, and it took him by surprise. "After I left my place In Heaven to be with your father, I was labeled as a whore who'd abandoned her faith for sexual desires with a demon, and created an abomination species. But I don't see it like that. I see it as me falling in love with a man whose soul mirrored my own, and we loved each other enough to leave our homes and start a life, making our own home. We'd started a new life, and with it, we had two beautiful children." Eva moved her hand from the amulet, placing it over Dante's heart. "I know you want to fight your brother…I know what he's become. But he is still your brother. Somewhere inside is your brother; the one that existed before all of this. Please remember that…" she said. And with that, she was gone. Dante reached out, touching nothing but air. Dante looked down at the window sill, seeing a withering blue rose. He sighed, then found himself kneeling down. _'I feel stupid for doing this…but God, if you exist…please forgive my mother. She doesn't deserve this…'_ he prayed. He'd never prayed much, and it felt awkward and strange to him. He could feel a tingle in his heart, where Eva had touched him. He wasn't sure how to describe it. He rose, then continued walking through the hall, finally seeing the end. As he walked into the room, he looked at the large stairway leading up, seeing Vergil stand at the top of it. "I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind. I could feel your presence, but it was still…" Vergil said. Dante simply shrugged. "I had to leave a message on God's voice mail," he replied, standing there waiting. Vergil raised an eyebrow, then began to descend the stairs. "It is regrettable about what happened to Kat. How is she, by the way?" Vergil asked. Dante scoffed. "Why do you care? You put her in the hospital in the first place…" he spat out. Vergil simply shook his head. "I'm aware. And I wasn't proud of it. But I wanted to make you see the mistake you'd made. You keep clinging to humanity when all it offers is disappointment. I keep giving you the answer, and you keep denying me. Why? Because it was what our parents wanted? Because they were willing to trade it all away for a life in this mansion?" he asked. "Don't make the same mistake. Dante, you could have so much more." He tapped the end of the Yamato against the ground, and the room filled with the sounds of snarling demons. Dante looked around, seeing the demons in the dark corners of the room. He was pretty sure they were all around the house. He simply looked back at Vergil, who stood there smiling. "I can forgive you for betraying me, brother. We can put all that behind us. All of it. I just need you to-"

"Hang on a second. Betraying you? You think that I betrayed you?" Dante interrupted. "I didn't betray anyone. _You_ betrayed me and Kat, Vergil. _You _betrayed our parents. You had me thinking that we were fighting for a greater cause; instead I find out that you just needed my help to try to get the throne. You needed me to help you kill Mundus so you could rule without any problems. _You_ betrayed everyone!" Dante shot back at him, moving forward till him and Vergil stood face to face. "You want to blame everyone else and make it seem as though you were the victim, yet you don't even realize that you're the one who's been hurting everyone. You tried to kill me. You attacked innocent civilians with your demon attacks. You tried to kill Kat and put her in the hospital. You even left our mother alone in Hell crying…" Dante said, that last part getting him even more worked up. Vergil's eyes widened, as if he'd let a secret slip. "How do you know about that?" he asked, confused. "Because she told me, asshole," Dante replied. "She also told me not to hurt you. So here is me being the peacekeeper: take your demons and go. Just go, Vergil. Put all of this behind you, and go somewhere else. We don't have to fight…" he said, trying to see if their mother was right. Vergil looked long and hard at him, and Dante could have sworn he'd seen his brother's features soften almost. As if he'd broken through to him. "Brother, I…" he began. Dante put his hand on Vergil's shoulder. "You can stop all of this. You can help rid the city of demons. We can work something out, I know it," he said. Vergil looked down at the ground, as if pondering. "Brother, I…can't believe you'd expect me to just throw all of this hard work away."

Dante felt the hard blow to his chest, and found himself being pushed back. Vergil had rammed his palm into his chest. Dante felt the ground leave from underneath him, then after a moment he came down hard. He gasped for air, coughing a bit, hearing the sounds of the demons as the roared for their master. He could hear as Vergil unsheathed the Yamato, and was approaching him. "What's the matter, Dante? You look like you're having a hard time breathing there," Vergil said. Dante coughed, catching his breath. "You just hit a little harder than I remember is all..." he replied. Vergil chuckled. "I've ascended. My powers are beyond yours now, brother," Vergil boasted. Dante stood up, summoning Rebellion. "So in short, you're a mega-douche now, is that what I'm getting?" he joked. Vergil sighed. "Poor Dante...you never learn. I guess I'm the only one with any common sense. I'm done trying to convince you," he said, then rushed forward, blade pulled back. _'Damn it...sorry, mom...'_ Dante thought.

Vergil

Vergil lunged, piercing nothing but air. He could have sworn Dante had been there right in front of him. He didn't understand what was happening. He turned and looked around the entire room, seeing nothing but tattered walls and demons hiding in the corners of the room. "That's not possible…" he said. His brother had just vanished right before his eyes. Before he could formulate a possible explanation, he felt the stinging blow as it landed against his back. It was a blast, and it sent him flying across the room. He landed against the wall, then fell down to the floor, hissing in irritation. He looked up, and in front of him was Dante.

_'Wait…'_ he thought, examining him. He could see the red aura of energy as it radiated from his brother's body, he could see the white hair sticking up on end, but he didn't see the red eyes or the lack of control. "You've done it. You learned how to control your Devil Trigger. You even managed to let out some of that untapped power. I'm impressed. Not even I could have anticipated you'd be that fast…" he said, standing up and dusting himself off. "Power is gained in more ways than you think, Vergil. Mine comes from protecting the people I love," Dante replied, twirling the Rebellion. Vergil scoffed. "Love brings you power? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard," he said, lunging forward again. The two blades collided, and Vergil could feel the tremendous power that emitted from the clashing blade. His brother was stronger, faster, and had more control than ever. He'd been expecting to face the untamed monster from earlier. He was looking for the monster that tried to kill him in the apartment when Kat was hurt, or the one that put a blade in him and almost let him die. This was another Dante, and he had a feeling this one was going to be much stronger. The two nephilim swapped blows, going back and forth at each other. To his surprise, Dante had grown much faster, which forced Vergil to move faster as well. He had not expected to use this much power. He figured that fighting Dante would have been a rather simple match. At this moment, the two of them were almost equal.

Vergil jumped back, standing on the stairs, realizing he'd have to put some pressure on Dante. He felt as his essence split in two, and beside him stood a spectral copy of himself, a Doppelganger. The Doppelganger moved freely, charging Dante and delivering an onslaught of fierce, well-timed blows. Vergil listened to the sound of clanging metal, then began focusing. Two swords materialized, one on each side of him. He then waved his hand, and the swords hurled down towards Dante. _'Perfect…' _he thought, figuring that Dante wouldn't be able to counter, given that he was already focusing on the Doppelganger. To his surprise, Dante reacted quickly. He wielded the Rebellion with one hand, and the other drew one of his guns. As if he hardly even needed to aim, Dante fired off two rounds, colliding with the two swords that whizzed through the air towards him. Vergil watched as they exploded, gritting his teeth. "Your speed is amazing, brother!" he shouted, then materialized two more. He launched them, and watched as they were shot down like the ones before them. Dante side-stepped, avoiding the blade of the Doppelganger as it lunged, and he buried the Rebellion deep into its chest. The Doppelganger dispersed, leaving only Vergil. The Rebellion shimmered, and in its place were two shuriken-like blades. Dante twirled the Aquila, poised and ready as the two of them stood, projectiles ready to launch. Vergil fired first, and the two swords flew through the air. He watched as Dante flung the two bladed weapons, and they collided with the swords. They shattered in mid-air, and Vergil didn't even see as Dante stopped right in front of him, catching the blades in his hands, then slashing down along Vergil's chest. He felt the blades dig in, cutting through the coat, buttons flying through the air and scattering on the floor. He stepped back, a hand on his chest. He could hear the sounds of the demons as they roared in disapproval. _'This isn't happening…'_ he thought, then looked up, seeing Dante get ready to slash with the two blades again. _'So it'll take some effort to kill you after all…'_ he thought, then a smirk appeared across his face.

Dante

Dante slashed nothing but air, quickly looking around for Vergil. They were both equal at that moment, in both speed and strength. He looked back, seeing Vergil back in the center of the room, coat hanging open after Dante had cut down his chest. He could see a patch of Vergil's skin, and saw a faint line going down his chest. He realized that was from where he'd stabbed Vergil, back when this feud began. "You had enough? Or do I have to kick your ass more?" he asked. Vergil breathed deeply, regaining his composure. "We're just getting started, Dante. I can keep going. Because you haven't even seen me at my best," he replied. Dante looked curiously at him. "You've held back?" he asked, Aquila returning to Rebellion form. "So this was you not even trying, is that it?" Vergil laughed out loud. "Oh no, I tried. I just didn't think I'd have to use more energy then what I'd planned on, that's all. You've gotten much stronger. You had power back then, but you didn't have the control. Now you're a bigger threat. Congratulations on that," he said, giving him a mock clap. Dante narrowed his eyes, stepping forward. "Not too late to pack up your little circus and skip town," Dante said. Vergil just rolled his eyes. "I already told you. I'm not going anywhere. But you are."

Dante stopped once he felt it. He could feel the aura of energy that came from Vergil. He remembered when he first felt Vergil's power, how immense it felt. This however, was something greater. He didn't think it was possible, considering how it looked as though his body could barely even hold the power he felt earlier. He watched as Vergil's hair stood on end, doing away with his usual slicked back style. Vergil's eyes took on a solid red state, and the power rolled along the entirety of his body.

This wasn't his brother anymore.

"I've only been using a fraction of my power. I didn't think I'd have to use this. You however, were even more annoying than ever before. Give yourself a pat on the back. You have now royally pissed me off," said Vergil. Dante could hear the roar of demons as they applauded their king, writhing in amusement at his display of power. Dante held up the Rebellion, then mentally cursed himself when he felt his arm twitch. _'No time for doubt…'_ he thought to himself, then ran forward. He watched as Vergil stood perfectly still, as if wanting him to come towards him. Dante thought nothing of it, and slashed as hard as he could. Rebellion collided with Yamato, and Dante watched as Vergil stood calm and collected, unwavering. Vergil tilted his head. "I'm sorry, was that meant to do something?" he asked, then repelled Dante, sending him sliding across the floor. He felt the familiar sting of a palm being rammed into his chest, then went flying up the stairs. As he flew upwards, he watched as his Vergil rushed up the stairs past him like a bullet, going out of sight. Dante landed on cold tile floor.

_'Tile?'_ he thought, quickly sitting up and looking around. Vergil had moved so fast that he didn't even see him cut open a portal right after he'd been hit. Dante stood up and looked around the familiar office. "This is Mundus's office…" he said. It was practically the same, except for a few new things here and there, like a portrait of Vergil, the new desk, and the lighting was much dimmer than before.

"Is this him, my love? This ruffian looking excuse is your twin?" he heard, looking at the desk and seeing a pale, black-haired demon sitting on top of it, wearing a green dress that matched her eyes. She played with a strand of her hair, eyes widening as Vergil approached her, kissing her on the cheek. "This is my brother, Dante. Dante, meet Moira. Moira, meet Dante. Now everyone is acquainted with one another. What do you think? I'd been restoring this building for some time now. I think it came out nicely," Vergil said, leaning against his desk. "You took Mundus's office, his title, his demons, and now you go and grab a Lilith wannabe?" Dante asked.

Vergil looked at him, clearly not amused. "I will be greater than Mundus. He and I are nothing alike. I, unlike him, have a vision. I have ambition and drive. I won't allow myself to grow fat and lazy as time progresses. I will always stay on top, and I will never slow down. I'll keep going. So don't you dare compare him to me," Vergil said, clenching the corner of the table "You would be wise to listen to him, peasant," said Moira, crossing her legs. "King Vergil is greater than any other. He is all-powerful, and you're nothing but a sad, pathetic excuse-" She stopped when she felt herself being shoved from the desk, landing on her feet and stumbling. "This conversation doesn't need you're comments. In fact, you are dismissed," Vergil said, and Moira quickly tiptoed away, closing the door behind her. Dante chuckled. "This is unreal…you're just another tragedy waiting to happen. You see what happened to Mundus. Your ass is just waiting to get kicked," said Dante, then felt the tight grip around his throat as Vergil quickly moved over to him. Vergil threw him forward, and he landed against the door, coughing as he struggled to take in air. "You know what I'm going to do when I get through with you? I'm going to find Kat, and I'm going to wipe her memory like I did almost a year ago. Long before I found you, I found her and made her one of my allies. The two of us felt a mutual…attraction. As much as I wanted to act on those feelings, I realized doing so would be a great distraction, and I couldn't have that. So I wiped her memory, like our father did to us. I'll wipe her memory of everything, and then she'll be a nice little pet for me, with no memory of you at all. Or maybe I'll keep her memory intact, and I'll watch her resist. I'll watch her struggle and deny me at first, but then over time she'll grow to love me. I wonder what she'll think when she sees that I'm bigger than you. What do you think, brother?" Vergil asked. Dante gripped the handle of the Rebellion, feeling as the bit of control he had started to dwindle away. He then gave a powerful slash, releasing a crescent-shaped blast of energy.

Vergil

Vergil quickly slashed at the blast of energy, severing it in two. The two blasts collided with the windows behind him, shattering them to pieces. Vergil sighed in frustration. "I just had those inserted…but that was a nice attempt, I will give you that," he said, then quickly lunged forward, plunging the Yamato into Dante's shoulder. He grinned in amusement at his brother's look of pain and anguish, then quickly withdrew the blade and spun, ramming the hilt of his sword into Dante's face. The attack left him disoriented and dazed, and Vergil resumed his onslaught, delivering a flurry of blows. Dante was able to repel a few blows, the rest finding their mark, until he was covered head to toe in cuts. He studied Dante's current form: ragged and breathless, barely able to hold his blade.

Was he close to finally winning once and for all? Finally seeing his vengeance exacted?

Vergil hoped so. He wanted this over as soon as possible. "Brother, I don't have any more time to waste on you. I'm ending this fight." He swung the Yamato, the tip connecting with Dante's chest, and dragged the blade down, cutting into him. He made a second slash, symmetrical with the first, and the final blow was delivered.

The Yamato plunged into Dante's chest, and Vergil watched as he finally showed little resistance. His hair resumed its normal color, and the immense aura of power that usually radiated around him ceased. Vergil removed the blade, watching as Dante slumped, falling to the floor. "I've done it…I've surpassed you, brother…" he said.

Dante clutched his bleeding chest, eyes barely open as he struggled to stay conscious. "You…are an asshole…and you're gonna lose, Vergil. None of this…" He gestured to the office."None of this is going to end well for you." he finished. Vergil shook his head. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said, then tapped the ground with the Yamato.

Two reflective portals appeared, one in front and one behind Dante. Out of the portal emerged what appeared to be Dreamrunners. Dante looked at the two, realizing that they were different. Their masks were a red version of their usual blue smiling faces. "Newly promoted Drekavac. Mundus was a bastard, but he knew good security," Vergil said. "Drekavac, escort my brother to his new home," he ordered. Dante looked at him, questioningly. "You better kill me now while you can…cause I'm just gonna kick your ass later if you don't…" Dante threatened. Vergil waved his finger back and forth. "Oh no, brother. I have something…much more appropriate for you. I realized that killing you was too easy. I'm going to prolong your suffering." He snapped his fingers, then watched as the Drekavac brandished chains. They quickly wrapped them around Dante, pulling them tightly. Dante struggled weakly, being forced to his feet. Vergil cut through the air, creating one of his portals. "Give my regards to our father."

His eyes widened, and Dante pulled hard against the chains. "You motherfucker…" he hissed, thrashing against the Drekavac. "Vergil, I'm warning you…don't do this!" he protested. As he pulled against the chains, the Drekavac quickly restrained him, keeping him still and in their grasps. "I can and I will do this, brother. This is for turning your back on your birthright. Maybe now you'll understand." Vergil nodded, and the Drekavac escorted him through the portal. As he was being dragged through, Vergil could hear as Dante screamed obscenities at him, cursing him. Then he remembered. "Wait!" he shouted, turning and seeing Dante almost in the portal. He walked back to him, then gripped the amulet around his brother's neck. "Almost forgot," he said, ripping it from him, then turned and walked away again. "Proceed," he ordered, hearing Dante yell, then it ceased.

Kat

"No, I'm fine. I promise," Kat said. Dr. Webber, the doctor personally assigned to her, resumed helping her anyways. "Please. You need help. And I am here to give it to you. Besides, you don't need to bust a stitch again. Remember that?" she asked. Kat sighed and let herself be helped into her wheel chair. "Yes, I remember…" she muttered, climbing out of the bed and into the chair. "I wanted to go to the restroom myself. And not in a bedpan," she said, resting comfortably in her chair while Dr. Webber wheeled her out of her room. "A lot of patients get that way. They don't want to have to rely on others to help them carry out some of their basic human needs and functions. Such as walking and using the restroom," said Dr. Webber, wheeling Kat into the elevator, then pressing the button for the first floor. Kat moved her hair out of her eyes, staring at the elevator doors. "So…has Dante called or anything?" she asked. The doctor just shook her head. "The last time I saw him was when he came here about four days ago. He left that coat you're wearing. When I went to check on you, I found the window open, and so I assumed he just went out the window. I don't know why, considering we have perfectly good doors he could use," she explained. Kat pulled the jacket closer to her, basking in the feel of it, and the scent of it that was Dante's. It was rather large on her smaller frame, but she didn't mind; she felt secure in it. "Maybe he's busy with work…" she said. She had an idea that he'd be "working" for a while though. He'd most likely been hunting Vergil. "Well, hopefully he comes back safe. Last time I saw him, he looked like he'd been through the shredder and back," she heard Dr. Webber say. The doors opened as they reached the first floor, and Kat was wheeled out into the lobby. They were almost at the door that led to the courtyard when they heard it. "Quick, turn to RNN!" a nurse said. They changed the channel of the television on the nurse's desk, and they all gathered around, compact in that tight little spot. "What's going on," Dr. Webber asked. "It's some lunatic making a public announcement, and he's got an army of demons!" said the nurse frantically. Kat listened carefully, and the nurse angled the television just right so her and the doctor could see.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Vergil standing in front of Silver Sacks tower, backed by a large amount of demons. They turned up the television to clearly hear what he was saying.

_ "…I once stood before you countless times warning you of the imminent danger that would befall you. I spent time warning you of the dangers here in Limbo City, that you were all being lied to, and that society as you know it would be your downfall. No more! I now stand before you, unmasked, with a new message for you: your hero Dante, my twin brother, is dead! I ended him just four days ago, with my own two hands! The hero that once protected your city now rots in the dirt underneath it. I was once shunned and ignored, but now…now I stand before you a king. I am Vergil, your new ruler, and this city and everyone in it belongs to me. I once told my brother that you humans were unfit to rule yourselves, unable to take care of your own world. Now I am here to rule for you. You will do as I say, or you will suffer like my brother! I prolonged his suffering…and I will do the same to all of you…"_

Kat had completely forgotten how to breathe. She replayed the words over and over in here head, realizing that he may have been telling the truth. She realized that it made sense. She hadn't heard or seen Dante, and if it was a lie, Dante would have already been on-screen, battling Vergil. That army never would have made it that far into the city without Dante's notice. She realized that Vergil must have done something.

She realized that Dante was lost to her forever now.

And that part of her was now dead with him.

Dante

He could feel the cold floor on his back the second he regained consciousness. Dante slowly sat up and could feel the soreness all through his body. The moment he saw the set of bars in front of him, he knew exactly where he was.

"Prison…" he said, struggling to stand up.

He looked down and saw bare feet, realizing he didn't have his shoes. He then felt the spot on his chest where his amulet usually hung, looking for it. Only to remember that Vergil had taken it from him "That asshole…" he muttered, looking around his dark cell. He was residing in a large iron box. He looked through the bars, gripping them tightly. "Hey! Someone get me the hell out of here!" he shouted, looking around for anyone. "Can any of you assholes hear me?!" he shouted, waiting for a reply.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Serves you right, traitor!"

"You'll be dead, just like your whore angel mother!"

Those were some of the replies he heard. He now knew he wasn't the only prisoner here, but he also knew that they knew who he was. They probably weren't very fond of him, being that he was a demon killer, and this was a demon prison, or rather, it was banishment.

_'Banishment…'_ he thought, and the words sank in.

_'…Never coming back…'_ Those were the words Vergil used when he explained to him how their father was gone forever. Now those words applied to him. "No, no, no…" he said, tugging on the bars. "No! Goddamnit, no!" he screamed, pulling as hard as he could on them, straining himself. He fell down to his knees, panting. "I can't be here…" he said, realizing what this meant. While he was here, Vergil was free in Limbo City.

"Kat…" he said, remembering Vergil's sick threat.

He reached behind him, trying to summon Rebellion, but found it no use. "I have to get out of here…" he said, resting his head against the bars.

"It is you…son of Sparda…" he heard. He looked up, focusing his eyes in the darkness. He looked across the dark hall, seeing an outline. Standing behind a set of bars in the cell across from his, stood an aged figure. The most distinguishing figure being that the right part of his forehead was missing.

"Phineas? Phineas, is that you?" Dante asked, examining him closely. The aged demon was worn and weary, as if he'd been here a while. I was clear he'd been beaten, judging by the bruises and marks that covered most of his body. "Dante…it is you…it's good to see you again, friend…" he said wearily, leaning against the bars. "What happened to you? Why are you here in banishment?" Dante asked. Phineas took a ragged breath before speaking again. "By order of the new demon king…before he came for you, he sought me out too. Given my affiliation with you in your war on Mundus…he didn't want to take the risk of you seeking my aid once again, and coming up with a plot to overthrow him too. I told him he was paranoid…and he had me imprisoned. Before that, he took my eye. I am once again blind, and this time it will most likely be for good…" he explained, sighing and sitting in the corner, this conversation seeming to exhaust him. "I'm sorry, Phineas…" said Dante. "I didn't know he'd do this to you." Phineas laughed a bit, coughing afterwards. "No one knows what anyone is going to do. That's part of being alive…nothing is ever clear. The world is an ocean, and the waves unpredictable. While gentle one day…violent the next. I knew there would be a feud over the right to be the next demon king, but I did not expect it to go like this. Assiel's soul weeps at the feud between nephilim…" he said. Dante shook his head. "I bet it does…Phineas, if I can get your eye, can you help me get out?" he asked him. There was a pause before he received an answer. "I'm afraid I can't help you this time, son of Sparda. My eye is not here. Your brother has it. And this is banishment, an infernal prison, housing the tormented ones who were unfortunate enough to be here…Mundus's grip is long gone from this place, but Vergil now has control and has fashioned this place in his image. I'm afraid that…there is nothing I can do. Nothing any of us can do," he said. "I'm not gonna rot in here and die. I'll find someone, and we're getting our asses out of here," Dante said standing up. "Just got to start looking." He heard Phineas moving around his cell. "Then there is one. One whose counsel you might seek. He is housed in the lower quarters of this prison, kept in perfect solitude. They say he hasn't been seen in years. Apparently Vergil left him undisturbed once Mundus's control was lost over this realm, before he took over in his place. He is the one who can most likely give you a clearer answer. He is the man who is responsible for your existence."

Dante let these words seek in before replying.

"Sparda…my father…"


	5. A word from DarkTheory13 about CE

I know what you're all thinking.

_"Why did it take so long for him to finish this one?!"_

Two things. One: the world is a very distracting place…especially when it involves stuff like life issues, work issues, relationship issues…Or I might have been distracted with friends, my girlfriend on days where we weren't arguing, or video games…

And two? When I was _actually _on my computer typing for once, I kept going over and over the story to try to make it…better.

During the time it took to finish, I had come up with several alternative ideas for what to do with this one. Here were a few other ideas I had:

1. The story originally opened with Dante and Kat in the middle of a paintball battle in the Limbo City dump. Kat's training had already been going on for weeks.

2. Dante was originally suffering from severe nightmares that usually involved Kat's death, and usually at the hands of Vergil. This was the main reason why he wanted Kat to be trained.

3. Kat was originally going to have FOUR extra glyphs: one banished demons back to Hell, one incinerated them, one that protected people/things from demonic harm, and one would make a hologram-like image.

4. There was originally going to be a scene where Dante fights a swarm of demons going to Silver Sacks tower after seeing a news broadcast on television, before learning about Vergil being involved. Despite being told to stay at home, Kat would show up and save Dante by running over a demon with her car (which was unharmed because a glyph painted on the hood kept it from getting dented). The two would then work together, Kat using Harmony and Ruin for the first time. The battle would end with Dante rushing Kat for an idea when three Tyrant demons charged the battlefield. Kat would spray two glyphs, and tell Dante to stand on one and "imagine running." The glyphs would then project after-images of Dante and Kat running into the battlefield, distracting demons. It worked based off of the user's thoughts of doing an action. Dante and Kat then use this to escape inside the tower.

5. Dante and Kat would explore the interior of Silver Sacks, in the middle of being remodeled (remodeling being the demons destroying everything that was in Mundus's image)

6. Dante and Kat would battle a Dreamrunner in Mundus's office, and Kat would suffer a gunshot graze to the arm as one of her bullets is deflected back to her by the Dreamrunner. The battle would end when the Dreamrunner, defeated by Dante when taking a blow from Arbiter that would bisect it, is revealed to be wearing a backpack that Kat recognizes, and realizes it is filled with explosives. They would then hurl themselves out the window, and Dante would save them by using a combination of Ophion Demon Pull and Angel Glide down to ground level. Kat would then remember her and Vergil using a backpack like that to bomb demon nesting grounds.

7. There was a dream sequence where Dante wakes up and goes to the kitchen for breakfast. In the middle of heating up pizza, he turns and finds Vergil (before his and Dante's battle at the end of the game) sitting at the kitchen table, asking for a slice. The two then talk like nothing went wrong, even having a brotherly argument over who gets the last slice of pizza. Vergil then grows cold and states that Dante betrayed him for a woman, and Dante's body reacts on its own and summons Rebellion, and kills Vergil in the kitchen. His body vanishes, and Dante hears a revived Vergil humming and then muttering the lines to "Throat Full of Glass" (the song in the opening sequence of the game, where Dante leaves with two strippers) down the hall from Kat's bedroom. Dante then watches as an unsuspecting Kat wakes up only to be impaled by Vergil's sword. Kat would then wake up and find the bed empty, and finds a restless Dante getting ready to go on patrol, shaken from his nightmare. She would then force him back into bed and make him go to sleep. He wakes up hours later, and the two of them share lunch together, and Kat states the two of them will have a date when he gets back. The renewed Dante then goes on patrol.

8. While out on patrol, Dante would see what appears to be Vergil in a crowd of people, and he is then attacked by a second Dreamrunner, who then leads Dante out of the city and to Vergil's hideout, the old Limbo City high school.

9. Kat's suffering was originally going to be much worse. Hours after Dante leaves to pursue the Dreamrunner, she is seen having just got out of the shower, and is preparing to dress for her and Dante's dinner date. Worried that Dante might need help, she prepares to leave the apartment, but is terrified when she finds Vergil sitting in the living room of the apartment. Attempting to flee, she would then be struck in the shoulder with one of Vergil's Summoned Swords, and teleported back to his arms after she had just made it out the window and down fire escape.

10. Dante would follow the demon to the school, where he would engage in another all out battle in the school's gymnasium. After fighting wave after wave, Dante is rewarded with a message from the intact PA system. The message is a recording from Vergil, stating that he had a hand in the recent demon attacks. He then states that the school is filled with explosives, and Dante, still recovering from the discovery that his brother is the Demon King, evacuates the school, but is forced to sacrifice his coat when it is snagged on a piece of debris in the building. Dante then leaves the burning building and returns to the apartment.

11. The story would continue from Vergil's perspective, where we find Vergil sitting on the couch, while an undressed Kat lies on the floor, suffering from cuts, having just been raped by Vergil. He states that he would have perhaps once pursued a relationship with her, like he wanted to in the graphic novel prequel to the game, "The Chronicles of Vergil." Dante would make it back just in time to stop Vergil from cutting out Kat's heart, just like Mundus ripped out Eva's. Vergil then flees, and Kat is taken to the hospital.

12. Banishment for Dante was originally going to be a large forest in a realm that was always night. This is a reference to "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, where Dante the poet walks through a dark forest, having lost his way several times. The original perils of banishment were to include being pursued for all eternity until killed by other violent prisoners of banishment, as well as three ravenous and giant sized demons. The ravenous demons are another reference to this story, where Dante was forced to descend back down the mountain to Paradise when faced with a lion, leopard, and she-wolf that blocked his "straight-path."

13. And the last of my long list of ideas: if the story did include Kat being raped by Vergil, it would have ended with her in the restroom at a hospital throwing up. She then grows paranoid as she fears that the doctors might not have helped her in time, and she wonders if she is pregnant. If so, she realizes that she'd slept with Dante before he left for patrol, before Vergil's attack, leaving her to wonder who the child belongs to. Either way, she knows it will be a human/nephilim hybrid.

That was a lot…

While thinking of what to do for _this _story, I also had time to think about what to do for the next and FINAL story. Hopefully I'll get it done quickly. So in the meantime, re-read the other stories to catch up on everything and stay tuned for the final installment of the DmC: Devil May Cry fanfiction series:

Cleansing Waters


End file.
